Learn About Gemstones

Gemstones

January Birthstone - Garnet

Garnet comes from the Latin word granatus, meaning grain. Garnet is mostly mined in Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Africa. Occurring in every color except blue, the garnet is a versatile stone, appropriate for a multitude of applications and occasions.

February Birthstone - Amethyst

Amethyst is a member of the quartz family, and ranges in color from light to deep purple. Amethyst is derived from the Greek word emthystos meaning not drunk. The ancient Greeks and Romans made drinking cups out of Amethyst believing that it would prevent intoxication.

April Birthstone - Diamond

The word Diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unbreakable, or unalterable. Diamonds are composed of a single element, and are the purest of all the gemstones. The Diamond is the ultimate symbol of love, and is said to symbolize strength, and enhance relationships.

June Birthstone - Pearl

When thinking of the Pearl the color white usually comes to mind, but you can find pearls in black, gray, blue, yellow cream, lavender and mauve. When purchasing a Pearl you want to consider the surface, luster, color, and shape. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but there are many shapes of pearl.

July Birthstone - Ruby

The word Ruby is from the Latin ruber, meaning red. The ruby is pink-red in color. The Ruby is extremely hard, and second only to the diamond in hardness. The ruby is one of the four precious stones, along with sapphire, emerald, and diamond.

August Birthstone - Peridot

September Birthstone - Sapphire

Sapphire is from the Greek word sappheiros, meaning blue stone. Although blue is the most well-known color for sapphires, sapphires are made up of any color of corundum except for red, which are rubies.

Garnet

Available in a variety of natural colors with reddish shades being the most common, the garnet is a fairly common gemstone most commonly used in the Late Antique Roman world, and were often inlaid in gold jewelry.

Aquamarine

Diamond

Though often thought of as a colorless stone, a truly colorless diamond is a rarity. Usually diamonds have a light yellow tint, sometimes brown. Unique in that it's the only gem comprised of a single element carbon.

Emerald

A true, deep green color, the emerald is a striking stone alleged to give its wearer a quicker wit and a higher IQ. These rare gems are often carved into a rectangular step cut, which is known as the emerald cut.

Pearl

A hard object that grows in the soft tissue of a shelled mollusk. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth in shape, but are common in a variety of other shapes. Pearls are seen as a classy alternative to typical gemstones, and are frequently worn with nearly every level of classiness.

Ruby

The word ruby comes from ruber, which is Latin for red, and as such, Rubys are almost always red in color. Rubys and Pink Saphires are commonly confused, and a Ruby must meet a minimum color saturation in order to be called a true ruby.

Peridot

Peridot is simply gem-quality Olivine, and only occurs in one color: olive-green. Olivine tends to be rather common, however Peridots are rather rare and can be found in odd places such as lavas and meteroites.

Sapphire

A gem long-associated with romance and royal leanings, Princess Di received a blue sapphire engagement ring from Prince Charles back in 1981. Despite a common misconception, not all sapphires are blue. Green, violet-blue, yellow, orange, pink and purple hued stones are known as “fancy” sapphires and range from very light to very dark in saturation.

Opal

The national gemstone of Australia, the Opal can appear in a variety of colors, with black being the rarest. A wonder of nature is the fire opan which can include colors that seem to flicker between yellow to orange to red to green.

Topaz

Naturally golden brown to yellow, it can appear in a variety of colors, but previously the name Topaz was used to refer to any yellowstone. Interestingly there is an English superstition that Topaz cured lunacy.

Turquoise

An opaque blue-to-green mineral, Turquoise has long been used to ornament clothing, tribal masks, and worn as jewelry. The iconic burial mask of Tutankhamun was inlaid with turquoise as well as other stones. It was long thought to be a holy stone that could bring the wearer good fortune.